


Our Fortunate Ends

by p_ruthford



Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: Canon Gay Relationship, Falling In Love, Letters, Love, Love Letters, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:22:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28369071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/p_ruthford/pseuds/p_ruthford
Summary: A collection of letters exchanged between Thomas Barrow & Richard Ellis after their fateful meeting at Downton Abbey.
Relationships: Thomas Barrow/Richard Ellis
Kudos: 18





	Our Fortunate Ends

Ellis  
Buckingham Palace  
The Royal Household  
London SW1A 1AA

Friday, August 19th 1927

Dear Richard,

For so long I've been resigned to drifting out at sea, to float past unwelcome islands and shores not fit for me. This has been a strange revelation - to have found commonality where matching pieces are few and far between. A fire long extinguished now flickers in my soul. I have you to thank for that.

I trust the journey across the country has been well. The people welcome the King with open arms and cheer in every town and village he passes by, but know this, their joy will be unmatched to mine on the day we meet again.

I treasure both your parting gifts, they hold significant sway over my mood late at night as I think back to that fateful day. I hope to one day return the generosity and kindness you've shared with me.

Until then,

Barrow

\---

_ Barrow  
_ _ Downton Abbey  
_ _ Downton  
_ _ Yorkshire BD23 3AE _

_ Monday, September 12th 1927 _

_ Barrow, _

_ The sea may be dark and vast, but look up to the night sky and find the solitary stars that burn bright. They are the company we keep, of those before us, and they shine brighter now that they see we are one now. _

_ You needn't express your gratitude, for what you hold in your heart is mirrored in mine. They were not parting gifts but merely hold a promise of what's to come. _

_ I can only apologise that I have no control over my schedule - it is only by the grace of weary men that I am able to read your letter and write back. HRH has grown weary of sleeping in strange beds and it is through his command and his only that we've been able to return back to London and rest. Alas, it is only for a brief interlude – the Royal tour must continue and as so does the work of the King's Royal Dresser. Where HRH goes, my footsteps are never too far behind.  _

_ I've waited 34 years to find my missing piece, a few more months are no match for my patience. But with every passing night and the dreams that follow, that patience runs thin.  _

_ Fondly, _

_ Ellis _

\---

Ellis  
The Royal Household  
Buckingham Palace  
London SW1A 1AA

Friday, October 3rd 1927

Richard,

If your patience is thin, then mine threatens to tear apart at the seams. It's been almost three months since our fateful meeting and yet the memories and words still run fresh. They've been a pleasant distraction from the constant duties of the day, although one could have done without remembering the unpleasant events in the evening. .

I've seen in the papers that the Royal Tour has concluded its final journey across the country for the year. You must be pleased to have both feet on solid ground, how does life compare? Are you already longing to be once again on the road?

Lord Grantham rarely travels so I have nothing to compare with. I can only read with envy at you and the rest of the household with your lives of adventure. To go around the country and see all the sights from the solid castles of Scotland to the rolling hills of the South. The places you’ve seen and the people you’ve met. I must seem to you like a bird in a cage, unaware of the skies and lands that lay beyond my reach. 

Warmly,

Barrow 

\---

_ Barrow  
_ _ Downton Abbey  
_ _ Downton  
_ _ Yorkshire BD23 3AE _

_ Wednesday, October 12 1927 _

_ Barrow, _

_ There are brighter days to be had in York than the one you went through. I too have had my run-ins with the local police but only when I was a young lad, too cheeky to follow the rules of my parents. Those stunts have yet to taint my memories of my home town.  _

_ I have a weekend off coming up at the end of October. If we are both so inclined, there’s a walk around York that I’d like to retrace and for you to have kinder memories of York this time. The pendant was meant to be a poor substitute until we can meet again and now is the time to collect.  _

_ We may not wake up to a different view every morning, now that we are back at the palace but the pace and responsibility of the task is no different. Mr Miller still does the heavy lifting at dressing HRH unless he’s ill, which as you already know, he rarely is. Life in service is nothing if not well established.  _

_ You mustn't shortchange yourself, Barrow. If one keeps their eyes trained too far in the distance, they neglect to see the wonder outside their doorstep or in their reflection. Not all of the estates we went to during the tour were as well kept as Downton, although Mr Wilson and Mr Corbett will most certainly hold a different opinion. One never takes too kindly to being locked in their room all night.  _

_ Fondly, _

_ Ellis _

\---

__

Ellis  
The Royal Household  
Buckingham Palace  
London SW1A 1AA

Friday, October 21st 1927

Richard, 

One has to be open to new experiences and failing that, open to having their mind and perspectives shaken up every now and then. I will graciously give York another go at disappointment but maybe this time, with one of York’s finest men by my side to steer me right, the experience will be far better.

I’ve arranged to have that same weekend off and if all things fall into place in the morning, there’s a train ten minutes past eleven that I’ll take. The days may be getting colder but the thought of meeting you again keeps me warm throughout the hours. I shall continue to treasure your key ring until then.

While being a royal dresser may not be as spontaneous as you would prefer it to be, I grant you that it still fares better than being a butler. Heavy are the shoulders that bear the responsibility of a household. Heavier now that you’ve said Downton fares better than the estates around the country. If Downton is to remain here for decades to come, its custodians must hold true to their duty. Much like HRH. 

Fondly, 

Barrow

**Author's Note:**

> First attempt at writing fan fiction in a couple of years, have tried to keep the writing a bit more colourful with some inspiration taken from some real love letters. Hope you enjoy! Comments are most graciously welcome.


End file.
